Advances in the Enantioselective Metal-catalyzed N-H and O-H Insertion Reactions with Diazocarbonyl Compounds

Insertion of diazocarbonyl-derived metallocarbenes into X-H bonds (X= H, C, Si, N, O, S, P, Se) has proven to be a very important method for the construction of C-X bonds in organic chemistry. This mini-review provides a brief historical background, mechanistic aspects and a summary of recent breakthroughs in the area of enantioselective metal-catalyzed N-H and O-H insertion reactions. Keywords: Asymmetric catalysis, carbenes, diazocarbonyls, enantioselective, insertion reactions, metal catalysis.